Straight-knitting machine



(No Model.)

WAIKBN Straight'Knitting Machine.

Patented Dec. 14, I880.

Invento 71 205127 flv'ken.

cailfonne -LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON u C.

. lower edges.

UNITED 7 STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WVALIER AIKEN, OF FRANKLIN, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

STRAIGHT-KNITTING M ACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 235,332, dated December 14, 1880,

Application filed May 10, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WALTER AIKEN, of

Franklin, in the county of Merrimack and State of New Hampshire, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Straight- Knitting Machines; and I do hereby declare the same to be described in the following specification, and represented in the accompanying drawings, of which Figure 1 is a top view, Fig. 2 a front edge View, and Fig. 3 a transverse section, of a straight-knitting-machine needle-bar, cap-bar, and cam-bar with my improvement, which has reference to machines for knitting afabric and narrowing during the process of knitting. Fig. 4 is a side view of one of the partitions, such as are inserted and fixed in the needle-bar. Fig. 5 is another transverse section of the needle-bar, cam-bar, and cap-bar, such section being taken near one of the narrowing-needles.

My invention has for its object the supporting of the narrowing and other needles to advantage, and to allow the requisite rise and fall of the narrowing-needles.

In the knitting-machine described in Reissue Patent No. 8,7 79'to William H. Abel there is shown a needle-bar having flat and inclined or depressed surfaces, in combination with independently-constructed fillets or partitions attached thereto, such fillets or partitions being straight on their upper as well as their With my improvement each of the partitions has two inclinations to its upper edge, each of which terminates at a shoulder between them, such shoulder with one of the inclinations constituting a notch to receive the cap-bar extending transversely over and upon the several partitions and secured by screws to the needle-bar, which, when fixed in the machine, is horizontal, so as to bring into an inclined position the upper surface of such capbar, as well as that of the cam-bar and those parts of the upper edges of the partitions which come directly underneath the cam-bar.

For the support of the needles that come between the two sets of needles used to efi'ect the narrowing of the work there is fixed to the front part of the needle-bar a plate, upon whose upper edge the intermediate needles rest.

To hold up and drop the needles of each set of the narrowin g-needles in the order that may be required, there is to be used with such set a grooved slide, which is common to knittingmachines of the kind to which my invention is applicable, and constitutes no part of my present invention, it being shown in the patent of John Nesmith, granted July 29, 1856,

In carrying out my improvementl make each of the partitions A of the needle-barB in the form, in side view, as shown in Fig. 4, in which it will be seen that its upper edge is inclined to its base, or is formed of two inclines, a b, and an intervening shoulder, 0, such shoulder corresponding in height to the depth of the cap-bar O, which, when placed on the incline a and against the shoulder 0, has its upper edge flush with the incline b of the partition. These partitions I arrange vertically upon the needle-bar, and at proper distances apart for the interposing of the latch-needles between them, and I fix each partition in a suitable groove, 6, made in and across the needle-bar.

The incline a and the shoulder cformin the partition a notch to receive the cap-bar, which is secured to the needle-bar by screws f f, each of which goes down through the cap-bar and is screwed into the needle-bar.

Between the partitions for supporting the two sets of needles used in narrowing the work is the intermediate needle supporter or plate, D, which, arranged in a notch in the front edge of the needle-bar and held therein by screws h, extends a sufficient distance above such bar to hold the intermediate needles up against the plate G, as seen in Figs. 2 and 3, in the latter of which figures a needle is shown at t'.

In Fig. 5 the narrowing-needle is exhibited as at its lower position, or upon the upper surface of the needle-bar.

It will be seen that I have to the needle-bar no fiat and inclined or depressed surfaces, such as are shown in the patent of the said Abel but the top of my needle-bar is-always perfectly level, thus making a cheaper bar, owing to the fact that I do not have to cut down the incline between the fillets.

Another great practical advantage is that the needles, by my bar, are inclined upward at the points when knitting. This inclination helps the needles to cast on the old loops between them, especially those needles that have double loops on them, directly after the transferring.

In Fig. 5, as well as in Fig. 3, the cam-bar is shown at E directly over the inclined surface b of the fillets, and consequently being accordingly inclined in a transverse direction.

The plate D is to hold up as many of the needles as do not participate in the narrowing, and consequently the needles resting on the upper edge of the said plate do not, during the process of knitting, drop down to the level of the top of the needle-bar. When all the needles are knitting those which are not resting on the plate I) are brought up to an inclination corresponding to that of those which are on such plate; consequently the forward or hooked ends of the needles are then higher than the rear ends of such needles. Such inclined position of the needles, as above mentioned, helps or enables the loops (especially of those needles which have two loops on each of them) to be cast off to better advantage or with more certainty than is the case when the needles are horizontal or inclined downward.

Furthermore, my improvement, as above mentioned, elfects an important saving in expense in producing it relatively to a construction in which the needle-bar is made with depressed and level surfaces, as hereinbefore mentioned.

What I claim as my improvement in a straight-knitting machine having mechanism for narrowing the fabric while it is being made isma ia r 1. The needle-bar and thecap-bar, combined with a series of parallel partitions extending from one to the other of them, andinclined on their upper surfaces or edges, for the purpose of giving to the cap-bar an inclination transversely relatively to the needle-bar when the latter is transversely horizontal, all as set forth.

2. The series of partitions notched and having their upper edges inclined relatively to their lower edges, as set forth, in combination and arranged with the needle and cap-bars, as explained.

3. The series of partitions inclined on their upper edges relatively to their lower edges or the upper surface of the needle-bar, as set forth, in combination with the said needlebar, and with the cap-bar and the cam-bar arranged over such partitions and at inclinations relatively to the needle-bar, as specified.

4. The needle-bar and the cap-bar inclined with respect to each other as described, and having needle-guides or partitions extending between and from one to the other of them, and notched and inclined on their upper edges, as explained, in combination with the intermediate needle-supporter, D, fixed to and arranged with the needle-bar, as specified, and with the cam-bar arranged over the partitions and inclined relatively to the needle-bar, as explained.

WALTER AIKEN.

Witnesses ALEXIS Pnooroa, FRANK PROCTOR. 

